Leechburg strikes early, often to beat Eastern Conference rival Springdale

By: Michael Love
Friday, September 24, 2021 | 10:31 PM

Purchase Photo Options

Leechburg didn’t waste any time getting on the scoreboard against visiting Springdale in an Eastern Conference matchup Friday at Veterans Memorial Field.

On a flea flicker, Blue Devils quarterback Thomas Burke found a wide open Logan Kline for a 55-yard score.

Just like that, Leechburg had the lead.

“We told the kids the whole week in practice that if we got a nice (kickoff) return that put us in a good spot, I was going to call it,” Leechburg interim coach JohnAllen Snyder said. “It just worked out so well for us and gave us a lot of momentum right out of the chute.”

The highest-scoring offense in WPIAL Class A added on from there in the first half, led by 26 at the break and went on to post a 41-22 victory.

“Our kids made great plays tonight against a phenomenal Springdale football team,” Snyder said. “Our kids showed up tonight for their coach.”

Leechburg head coach Randy Walters was not at the game as he continued to deal with health issues, Snyder said.

“I know he wanted to be here more than anything in the entire world. But we wanted to make sure he did what was best for him,” Snyder said. “We told him we had everything ready to go. This is his team, and he trained all of us well. He’ll be back before you know it. This win was for him.”

The Blue Devils bounced back from last week’s conference-opening loss to Clairton. Leechburg is 4-1 overall and 1-1 in league play heading into next Friday’s Eastern Conference game at Jeannette.

Springdale lost for the second time in as many weeks after a 3-0 start and is looking for answers to turn around an 0-2 start in the conference. The Dynamos hope to get back on track next week at home against Greensburg Central Catholic.

“We just didn’t make enough plays tonight and didn’t focus enough on the details,” Springdale coach Seth Napierkowski said. “We had some injuries and some guys out of position, but that’s not an excuse. Leechburg came out and took it to us. They beat us. We’ve got to regroup, get healthy and get ready for GCC.”

Burke finished the first half 7 of 8 for 243 yards. After the first score, Burke added TD throws of 35 yards to Eli Rich and 65 yards to Tyler Foley.

He also had scoring runs of 1 and 19 yards as the Blue Devils led 34-8 at the break.

“I told the guys coming in that this was going to be a battle,” said Burke, who finished with 328 passing yards, giving him 688 yards and six touchdowns the past two weeks.

“We really played as a team and played for coach. Good things happen when you play as a team and play for each other. We have to come to practice this week and work even harder to get ready for Jeannette.”

Foley finished with four catches for 144 yards, and Rich hauled in three passes for 67 yards.

Leechburg scored just once in the second half. Braylan Lovelace got the score on a 4-yard run with 1:28 left in the fourth.

Springdale answered Leechburg’s quick early score with 6:24 left in the first quarter. Legend Ausk, who finished 7 of 20 for 91 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions, found Ricky Martinelli for 12 yards. A Chris Savko conversion run gave the Dynamos an 8-7 lead.

Springdale struggled to find consistency after that opening drive. The Dynamos didn’t get into the end zone again until the first play of the fourth quarter as Ausk scored on an 8-yard run.

Ausk then found Chase Weihrauch for 24 yards on the final play of the game to cap the scoring.

Logan Dexter, the Dynamos’ workhorse in the backfield, left the game in the first quarter with what Napierkowski said was an ankle injury. John Utiss, a dual threat in the Springdale offense, also was limited to defense after an ankle injury.

Savko carried the load in the run game. He finished with 16 carries for 94 yards.

“Chris did a great job for us,” Napierkowski said. “He stepped up. This is the most workload he’s had in a game for us. He showed he can carry that rock.”

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

Tags: Leechburg, Springdale